Carl Frampton vs Alejandro Gonzalez Preview July 18th
The Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series is back once again this weekend as unbeaten Carl Frampton of Northern Ireland will be taking on Alejandro Gonzalez of Mexico at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas this Saturday, July 18th. The 12-round bout is for Frampton’s IBF Super Bantamweight Championship and can be seen live in North America on the CBS network. Fans in the UK can catch all of the action live on the free ITV network.
The 28-year-old Frampton of Belfast, enters the ring with a perfect record of 20-0 along with 14 Kos. This will be his first appearance in North America and he’s anxious to impress the fans. The 22-year-old Gonzalez is no slouch either as he’ll be climbing into the ring with an impressive record of 25-1-2 with 15 Kos to his name. Frampton said he’s looking forward to fighting in the U.S. for the first time and isn’t worried about being booed by pro-Gonzalez fans. In fact, he said he feeds off of hostile environments.
Frampton turned pro back in 2009 and has fought 104 rounds since then. He won the title from Spain’s Kiko Martinez last September and has also met some world-class boxers in Steve Molitor and Chris Avalos. Frampton learned the ropes during his fine amateur career where he won over 100 bouts and lost just eight. He stands five-feet-five-inches tall and has a reach of 62 inches Frampton also has pretty good knockout power as his current KO ratio stands at 70 per cent. He knows he has to score an impressive victory on Saturday if he hopes to get some big-name fights in the future with the likes of Abner Mares, Leo Santa Cruz and Gary Russell.
Gonzalez has boxed 108 rounds since turning pro back in 2010. His KO ratio is 54 per cent, but he has the edge in both reach and height as he’s five-foot-seven and has a 67-inch wingspan. He’s fought just once out of his homeland of Mexico, and that was also in El Paso. Gonzalez will be taking a big step up in class here with Frampton as he hasn’t faced any top-notch opponents as of yet. It’s hard to say how good the youngster is because of this, but he should answer that question on Saturday afternoon.
Frampton is a solid boxer with a good arsenal of punches and isn’t one to lose his concentration in the ring. He’s quite accurate with his shots and doesn’t waste many of them and uses his jab to set up straight right hands and left hooks. He’s comfortable leading the way or counterpunching and has a pretty solid chin. Gonzalez turned pro when he was just 17, but hasn’t face anybody as good as Frampton along the way. He’s displayed a good chin up to now, and also has enough power to keep the champion honest.
Top Boxing Sportsbook: 5Dimes.eu
Widest Variety and Most Competitive Lines Online -> Visit Now!
Prediction
It’s always hard to predict the outcome of a fight which features a relative unknown quantity such as Gonzalez. His father was a champion and he has a lot of heart, but this will be a major test for him. He needs to throw a lot of punches, but can’t afford to get too wild or aggressive. If Frampton performs as well as he usually does in Britain, then fans should look for him to retain his title via a decision or late stoppage.
Odds
Sportsbook 5dimes.eu has the latest odds on all of the big fights. The odds of a Frampton victory are currently listed at -5000 while a Gonzalez win is listed at +2500. Visit 5Dimes.eu to see up to date odds and to bet on this fight. You should also check out our recent boxing betting predictions to see how we’ve done.
Alejandro Goonzalez betting • Carl Frampton betting